1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to shape memory polymers and, more specifically, to a self-folding polymer web.
2. Description of the Related Art
Advances in technology aim to reduce the degree of manual labor in construction and use. Devices that self-assemble are of particular interest for various applications. Origami is among the usable techniques to fabricate self-folding or self-assembling three-dimensional (3D) structures for applications in the aerospace and biomedical fields. As an example, aerospace structures require effective deployment of self-assembled space structures. Another example of using self-folding structures is the field of drug delivery where such structures may be used for delivering therapeutic drugs to targeted areas.
One focus of current research is the development of programmable self-assembling structures. For this, computer programming is required, and the program signals are sent into the material, detailing the steps of construction. An advantage of this approach is that after construction, additional programs can be sent to the structure, allowing it to reassemble into another shape. Another approach to self-assembling structures utilizes 4-dimensional (4D) printing, where the fourth dimension is time. In this case, the printed material, or one of the printed materials, responds to an environmental stimulus, resulting in a conformational change of the printed object. Drawbacks to this approach include the current size and material limitations of 3D printing and the need for a preconceived ending state; the final shape of the object must be determined prior to printing, and the shape changing mechanism must be planned to determine the geometry of the printed object.